


Glad You Came

by LiveThroughThePages



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Angst, M/M, Parent Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-05-03 21:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5308247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveThroughThePages/pseuds/LiveThroughThePages
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakaeguchi asks Suyama to meet him after practice one day, but it's not exactly what he thought it was going to be...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Glad You Came

**Author's Note:**

> I never knew the Sakaeguchi siblings names and now I know but I'm too lazy to go in and change things so they will remain as Sakaeguchi's sister and brother in this. Written for oofurishipweeks on Tumblr.

Suyama waited patiently for Sakaeguchi to arrive. He had long awaited for something like this to happen - to go out with Sakaeguchi. And his thoughts were answered yesterday after practice. 

* * *

Sakaeguchi had approached him after practice, handing him a piece of paper with an address on it.

"What's this?" Suyama asked as he read the address. He recognized it as a place near Sakaeguchi's house.

"Well..." Sakaeguchi glanced down at the ground. "I was wondering if you were free tomorrow afternoon? Coach is giving us off after morning practice... There's something I want to do and I'd like you to come with me."

Suyama glanced down at the address again in slight surprise. Sakaeguchi was really nervous and Suyama would be lying if he said he didn't think it was cute. "Sure," he said, smiling when Sakaeguchi looked up at him with bright eyes.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "It's not too much out of the way?"

Suyama smiled reassuringly. "It's important right?" It had to be for Sakaeguchi to be so nervous and to confirm his thoughts, Sakaeguchi nodded. "Then it doesn't matter."

"Thanks Suyama!" Sakaeguchi smiled brightly. "See you tomorrow at practice!"

* * *

_Really..._ Suyama thought to himself while he sat on a bench waiting. He'd arrived early because he didn't want to make Sakaeguchi wait for him. Even if he was busy or if it was out of the way, he would have dropped anything to meet with Sakaeguchi. He knew that very well, and sometimes he wondered if his friend ever felt the same.

"Suyama!" He looked over and saw Sakaeguchi jogging over to him. He was waving with a large smile on his face.

The smile was contagious and Suyama smiled and waved back.

"Thanks for coming," he said once he was in front of Suyama.

"No problem," Suyama responded. "What are we doing anyway?" He asked curiously since he had no idea what the second baseman had planned for the day.

Sakaeguchi looked nervous again, and he kept opening and closing his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Yuuto!" A girl's voice called out in annoyance. "I told you to wait for us!" Suyama turned and saw Sakaeguchi's older sister and younger brother walking over. "Oh!" She said in surprise seeing who was talking to her brother. "Suyama! I didn't know you were coming today..." She looked at her brother, but he refused to make eye contact with her.

"Hello... yes, sorry to bother you," he said bowing slightly. He looked at Sakaeguchi again in hope that he'd get some kind of explanation about what was happening, but he had become even more quiet than usual.

"Well, let's get going..." Sakaeguchi's sister said with a smile. She took her youngest brother's hand and began to lead the way. Suyama and Sakaeguchi followed silently behind them.

Suyama looked at his friend to see that he was staring at the ground intently. The walk was really quiet and the two of them started walking slower than Sakaeguchi's siblings. With space in between the two groups, Suyama thought it a good idea to bring up what exactly was going on because he was really, truly, confused.

"So... is this a family outing?" Suyama asked curiously. He figured he'd ask vague-like questions since Sakaeguchi seemed unwilling to come right out and talk about what was going on earlier. He'd just have to start piecing information together.

"You could say that..." Sakaeguchi looked ahead at his brother and sister.

"Where's your dad?"

"He's... away on a business trip, so he couldn't make it," Sakaeguchi gave Suyama a small smile.

"I see..." Suyama let the conversation drop and silence followed. He looked at Sakaeguchi and observed him. He wasn't his usual self. There was less of a spark in his eyes and no smile on his face - even his body seemed a bit sluggish. Maybe he just wanted a comforting presence? But his brother and sister were here...

Suyama looked around and his eyes fell upon a row of Cherry Blossoms coming up. The flowers were in full bloom. He had been so busy with baseball he didn't realize that it was that time of year already. "They're beautiful..." He smiled at Sakaeguchi, thinking the sight would cheer him up. However, the boy was staring at the trees with a frown on his face. "Sakaeguchi, what's wrong?"

Sakaeguchi looked over at Suyama and then back at the flowered trees. "Cherry blossoms... they've lost their appeal for me." He said honestly. "I prefer sunflowers." A genuine smile flashed across his face before it disappeared again.

"Here we are," Sakaeguchi's sister spoke softly as they turned into a cemetery.

Suyama's smile dropped slightly as he followed the family through the various graves until they stopped at a headstone that had "Sakaeguchi" written on it. Suyama stood awkwardly to the side as the three went about cleaning the area. He wasn't sure whether to help or not, but he assumed, since none of them looked over at him, that he should just wait patiently.

"There..." Sakaeguchi's sister said with a soft smile. "All clean."

As she went about lighting incense for the grave, Sakaeguchi moved to stand by Suyama. The youngest brother remained by his sister's side. She then took out a small vase from her bag, filled it with water, and placed a small sunflower in it.

"We brought your favorite, mom," the youngest brother smiled. 

Suyama blinked in surprise and looked over at Sakaeguchi. His friend was staring at his feet.

"Come on, do it correctly," the sister scolded her youngest brother. The two bowed their heads in prayer, but Suyama was confused as to why Sakaeguchi didn't join them.

And as he looked at Sakaeguchi seriously, Suyama noticed the grimace on his friend's face. His teeth were clenched tightly as he tried not to let the tears that were forming in his eyes fall down his face. Sakaeguchi had to stay strong for his brother and sister while his father was gone, but he missed his mother so much. Her smiling face that reminded him so much of the bright yellow sunflower.

A small whimper brought Suyama's attention back to the two in front of him. The youngest brother was starting to cry, and the sister was hugging him tightly - whispering loving words in his ear. Suyama glanced back at Sakaeguchi and noticed that he was clenching his shaking hands. 

The always smiling and happy Sakaeguchi... this was what he still felt at times. It wasn't that long ago that he lost someone so important to him. Suyama now understood his role in all this. Sakaeguchi wanted to be strong enough for his brother and sister, but he couldn't do it alone.

Suyama reached over and took Sakaeguchi's trembling hand. Slowly, the hand began to stop shaking, and then the fist relaxed slightly. Suyama took this opportunity to intertwine their fingers and give Sakaeguchi's hand a comforting squeeze. In response, Sakaeguchi held tightly onto Suyama's hand. Looking at his friend's face, Suyama saw that he looked just a bit more relaxed.

Sakaeguchi looked away from the gravestone and over at Suyama, who was still looking at him. When he made eye contact, Suyama smiled softly and once again gave Sakaeguchi's hand a gentle squeeze. 

Sakaeguchi could only stare. He knew that he was probably being selfish when he asked Suyama to come today, but he needed someone and he didn't know who else to ask. His fellow middle fielder was always there for him - on and off the field. And just the feeling of his hand holding Sakaeguchi's was enough to make him feel strong enough.

But the amount of caring and love that showed through Suyama's usually serious demeanor was more than he could have ever hoped for. And despite the overwhelming feeling of sadness and loss, Sakaeguchi found himself smiling. It wasn't quite with happiness, but with relief. He was beyond lucky, he didn't deserve this.

Sakaeguchi's sister, who had been watching the two, smiled. "The two of us are going to leave first," she said in a slightly shaking voice, bringing their attention to her. They both blushed and quickly pulled their hands away. "I think he needs to calm down a little," she said motioning to her youngest brother, who was still crying.

"Okay," Sakaeguchi answered. Neither he nor Suyama looked at her when they left.

This time it was Sakaeguchi that reached for Suyama's hand, and Suyama accepted the gesture willingly. He knew that it was probably wrong of him to feel happy about it, given the circumstances, but he liked the feeling of Sakaeguchi's hand in his.

Sakaeguchi held on tightly as he walked toward the gravestone, Suyama following closely behind. The two knelt down while their hands remained intertwined. Closing his eyes, Sakaeguchi bowed his head slightly in a quiet prayer. His free hand gripped the hem of his shirt tightly.

Suyama watched him carefully before mirroring his actions and bowing his head in thought. He had never met Sakaeguchi's mother - she had passed before they met in high school. But seeing Sakaeguchi's emotions toward her, he could imagine that she was a wonderful person. And Suyama knew that he was seeing the still slightly broken person underneath the smiling exterior. This was the true Sakaeguchi and he was being able to see it.

Suyama opened his eyes and looked at the sunflower - bright and yellow. _I'll watch over him_ , he found himself promising in front of the grave. _I'll do my best to keep him smiling._

He felt Sakaeguchi squeeze his hand slightly. Suyama looked over at him and noticed he was being stared at. "Sorry," Sakaeguchi said, eyes looking away.

"Why... are you apologizing?" Suyama asked confused.

"I should have told you what was happening," Sakaeguchi whispered. "But... I was a little afraid you wouldn't want to come here. You probably thought it was for something else..."

"You don't have to apologize for that. I would have come regardless." Suyama smiled at him. "It's an honor to meet your mother. I'm sure she was an amazing woman."

"She was," Sakaeguchi smiled brightly this time. There was a short pause before he continued. "I'm glad you came, Suyama. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Suyama whispered as he saw Sakaeguchi's bite his lip. His eyes were starting tear up again. "You know there's nothing wrong with crying. It hasn't been that long."

Sakaeguchi had been doing well to hold it in, but every now and again the sadness just seemed to overwhelm him. A choked sob escaped his lips as he tried to hold it back. But Suyama was right... sometimes you just had to let it out. He let the tears fall as his sobs shook his body.

Suyama let go of Sakaeguchi's hand so that he could embrace him. He held him tightly hoping that he was able to give Sakaeguchi the comfort that he deserved, and Sakaeguchi immediately returned the hug. He held him close until he finally calmed down. He'd do whatever he could.

"Sorry..." Sakaeguchi pushed Suyama away slightly and wiped his face trying to rid the tears.

"Here..." Suyama gently wiped what remained of the tear marks on Sakaeguchi's face. "Better?"

Sakaeguchi's face was red with embarrassment and he hoped that Suyama thought it was from crying. "Yeah..." He mumbled looking down.

"Why don't we go somewhere else?" Suyama offered. "Maybe go get something to eat?"

"That sounds nice," Sakaeguchi nodded with a small smile.

"Great," Suyama smiled as he stood. He offered his hand, "Then let's go."

Sakaeguchi took Suyama's outstretched hand and Suyama pulled him to his feet. As they left the cemetery, Sakaeguchi noticed that Suyama was still holding his hand. "You don't have to hold my hand anymore."

Suyama looked down at their hands confused, and thought what the hell. He smiled brightly at Sakaeguchi. "Maybe I like holding your hand."

"W-what?" Sakaeguchi stammered as his face flushed. He could even feel the heat coming from his skin and hoped his hand wasn't getting too clammy.

Suyama raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to?"

"Well... er... I-I don't mind it," he smiled slightly looking down at their hands. He was just surprised that Suyama was being so straightforward about something like this. Though... it probably shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did. "I... kind of like it too..." He mumbled embarrassed.

This time Suyama felt embarrassed. "So where do you want to eat?" He asked quickly to change the topic.

Sakaeguchi smiled brightly. "I'll let you choose." It was only right seeing that he had lied to Suyama to get him there in the first place.

"Okay," Suyama said in thought as he led Sakaeguchi to their next destination.

Sakaeguchi felt light like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He looked down at their hands again and smiled. He didn't think he could thank Suyama enough for what he did today. He hadn't even told him what was happening and when he knew, he still stayed. "Thank you for everything," he whispered to himself.

Suyama looked down and smiled at him. Had he heard him? Sakaeguchi panicked slightly. "Let's eat at that restaurant over there."

Sakaeguchi felt relief wash over him. "Okay!"

"Okay," he said and then added softly, "You're welcome." All of his feeling relayed through the gentle squeeze of the hand.

**Author's Note:**

> My poor Sakaeguchi... I love you so much but I love putting you through so much pain. I'm so sorry.


End file.
